Pilates

Back in my college years, along with practicing Iyengar and Sivananda yoga, I studied dance, including modern, ballet, jazz, African, Butoh and more. The part of class I loved the most was doing the warm-ups. I totally sucked at the combinations and the jumps, so once the warm-ups ended, I often dashed out of class without being noticed. Those first 20 minutes just felt so good! They melted away my stress and chipped through my body frozen from my winter-logged Chicago campus.

The most common reason people give for not getting enough exercise is: “I’m too busy.”

But remember that just because you are BUSY doesn’t mean you are ACTIVE! Being busy and being active are not synonymous. You can be busy all day long sitting at a desk or driving in a car without being active.

We trainers are always looking for new and innovative ways to accomplish the same goal — helping our clients get into better shape. In addition, I’m personally always looking for fitness products that are affordable for my clients to use on their own at home and on the road. Well, the Ultra Toner resistance band has been on the top of my list for over a decade as one of the most affordable, portable and USEFUL at-home fitness toys.

Dressed top to bottom courtesy of Zobha, I point out trigger points on my assistant Florence's back.

Last weekend I presented three Yoga Tune Up® workshops at the Inner IDEA Conference near Palm Springs, Calif. This yearly gathering brings together the leading innovators of the mind-body fitness world to convene at the serene La Quinta Resort in Palm Desert. As always, the event saw a great turnout. My Yoga Tune Up® workshops were packed, and Gaiam and its SPRI team generously provided a variety of props for my sessions.

I get the opportunity to teach both Pilates and yoga every week because it’s my job. But for those of you who don’t have time to attend a class, here are two mini workouts that do double-duty. Not only can they each be done in about 10 minutes, but these workouts will help you get moving in the morning (or anytime you need a little pick-me-up) or help you wind down from a stressful day.

Water workouts are the answer to beating the summer heat, adding low-impact variety to your workouts, and pumping up your summer fun!

Pools aren’t just for swimming laps. In fact, many of the physical activities we do on land can easily be done in the water — walking, running, aerobics, kickboxing and Pilates.

It’s been around a long time, and still many people can’t pronounce it. It’s Pilates (pronounced “pul-ah-teez”), and you can do it! In fact, if you’ve never tried Pilates, you SHOULD do it if only because it’s proven to burn fat.

People always ask me about staying fit on the road. For many of us, traveling is part of the job; and with the spring break and summer travel seasons arriving, it’s a great time to share my travel workout secrets and tips. Here’s how to make sure your hard work at home doesn’t go by the wayside on the road: